Motivational Interviewing Education and Utilization in US Physical Therapy

In physical rehabilitation, motivational interviewing (MI) can improve treatment adherence and therapeutic outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between MI education and use of MI skills in physical therapy practice in the United States.

Motivational interviewing is an empirically supported technique for facilitating behavior change. Numerous studies have examined its use in physical rehabilitation settings. No research has examined education and utilization of MI in physical therapy in the United States.

Physical therapists (PTs) in the United States (N = 785) responded to an electronic survey distributed through the special interest academies and state chapters of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Descriptive, correlational, and group comparisons were used to analyze the survey responses about MI utilization in clinical practice, characteristics of MI training, and self-reported use of MI communication skills.

Two-thirds of the sample reported using MI and half of the sample received training in MI. Motivational interviewing training was heterogeneous, with interactive elements superior to lecture alone. Interestingly, training received in PT education programs correlated negatively with the use of the MI skills assessed in this study. Use of MI skills significantly correlated with increased perceived patient adherence and decreased struggle with patients.

Incorporation of MI into physical therapy practice has the potential to improve patient care through increased therapeutic rapport, improvement of health outcomes associated with behavior change, and improved job satisfaction. Although MI is becoming more prevalent in physical therapy practice in the United States, the results of this study suggest that MI education should include dynamic components to increase the effective use of MI skills in clinical practice.